Orlando Sentinel
July 12, 2009
By Heather McPherson

Kitchen excels from start to finish

Emeril’s Tchoup Chop at Universal is not new to the Central Florida dining scene, but there is new talent in the kitchen. Greg Richie has garnered a following since 2000, when he opened Roy Yamaguchi’s Roy’s on Sand Lake Road.

Roy’s menu is Hawaiian fusion, a concept partially-embraced by Tchoup Chop, which has a broader Polynesian-Asian scope. Under Richie, the kitchen excels — from start to finish — as never before.

Emeril’s Tchoup Chop Chef de Cuisine Greg Richie

We started with the pork and Asian vegetable dumplings ($8). The plump pockets were a great match with the mellow sake-soy sauce. The crunchy shrimp ($10) were partially wrapped in what appeared to be thin strands of pasta. It’s an appealing presentation with a kicky hot and sour sauce.

It was almost game over with the “wow” factor from the “kicked up” crab cake ($13) and the wasabi-cured salmon Napoleon ($8.50). The cake lounged in a mango-habanero butter sauce and included a wonderful caramelized pineapple compote. The Napoleon was stacked in a cone-shaped glass with lovely layers of diced salmon, avocado, tomatoes, nutty crème fraîche. The large, rumpled wonton chips on the side were perfect for scooping.

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